Page 4 of Crossing Lines

Was he imagining that something was off between them? Ever since they’d teamed up with FBI agent Holden Joyce, Jo had been acting a bit strange. Could that have something to do with it? Holden and Jo? Nah, Holden had tried to get Jo fired. But then they had made amends on the last case. Still, Holden was a good ten years older than Jo, and why would Jo having a relationship with Holden have anything to do with her acting weird around Sam? They were good friends, nothing more.

Jo called from the squad room, “I don’t know about this. How many missing teens do we have here in White Rock?”

“Not many.” Sam could only remember three or four in the past ten years. When he joined her in the squad room, her expression was grim.

“Kind of reminds me of the last case,” Jo said.

“Let’s hope not.”

“Uhh… Sam… there’s something I should tell you.”

“Okay.” He drew the word out. Their gazes met, and Sam saw a hint of regret and hurt in her hazel eyes.

“When I came to White Rock, it wasn’t just to join a small-town police force.”

Sam frowned. “It wasn’t?” That’s what she’d told him. What other reason could she have?

Jo shook her head and looked down at Lucy. She petted the dog’s head almost as if for strength. “An unofficial investigation led me here.”

“You have an unofficial investigation going? Into what? Why didn’t you tell me?” Sam wasn’t one to disapprove of someone investigating things on the side. Sometimes you did what you had to do. He and Jo had investigated the suspicious death of fellow officer Tyler Richardson together unofficially, so Jo knew he wasn’t a stickler for the rules in that regard. Why would she keep her investigation a secret? He was starting to wonder if they really were the cohesive team he’d thought they were.

Jo took a deep breath then spoke. “My younger sister, Tammy, was kidnapped as a child. The killer was never caught. That’s why I got into law enforcement in the first place. I started my own investigation over the years. I collected clues, you know… and those clues led me to White Rock.” Jo looked away, nibbling her bottom lip. Clearly, she was uncomfortable.

Feelings of betrayal warred with sympathy in Sam’s chest. Betrayal because she hadn’t trusted him enough to tell him and sympathy because he’d do exactly the same in her shoes. “I’m sorry about that. You could have told me.”

Jo sighed. “I know that now. But when I came here, I didn’t know you. I didn’t know if you’d shut me down, turn me in. Whatever. The longer I didn’t tell you, the harder it became. I didn’t want you to lose trust in me.” She looked up at him with pleading eyes. “I hope I didn’t ruin our friendship.”

Sam’s heart melted a bit, but the bitter taste of her not trusting him remained. He said what he thought she wanted to hear, what he wished he really meant and hoped would become true after he’d had time to think about it. “No, of course not. I would have helped though.”

“I know. I tried to tell you several times, but something always came up.”

“Is that why you and Holden Joyce have seemed so tight?” Rumor had it that Holden had botched a serial killer case early in his career. Could it have been Jo’s sister? But if that were the case, why had he tried to make sure they took disciplinary action against her?

“Yeah, turns out he might be chasing the same guy. We didn’t figure that out until the last case.”

“So you two have been looking for the person that took your sister together?” A pinch of jealousy settled in Sam’s chest right next to the betrayal.

“We compared notes but haven’t done anything else.” Jo gazed out the window, a faraway expression on her face. “When we found those girls in the woods, I thought maybe it was the killer who took my sister. But I guess not. It did give me some ideas though. And if you aren’t too mad at me, I’d like your help following through with them.”

“Of course I’m not too mad.” Mad wasn’t exactly the word. Hurt. Betrayed. It wasn’t so much that she hadn’t told him, it was more that he hadn’t even sensed that she was keeping a big secret. Now he wasn’t sure if he could trust her. Or himself, even. But he wasn’t mad, just wary.

She smiled, relief evident in her eyes. “Great.”

They stood there for an awkward moment before Sam spoke. “Well, it’s late. We should start on the missing persons case tomorrow. Jesse’s probably partying in the woods right now, so it’s not an ideal time to approach him.”

Jo smiled. “Better to get him when he’s hungover and can’t think straight enough to give evasive answers.”

They walked out. “So what about your other sister? Is that why she turned to drugs?” Jo’s sister, Bridget, had been in and out of rehabs. Sadly, her involvement with drugs had helped provide a recent clue on the case that had put Thorne in jail.

“Yes. But she’s clean now. In fact, I’m picking her up tomorrow. She’s staying at my place.”

“Good. Okay, well then, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Lucy whined and looked between Jo and Sam as if sensing something had changed.

Jo might have sensed it too. Her voice was soft as she said, “Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

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